Growing up, my brother James and I always found trouble. One summer holiday we shelled the neighbours weatherboard house with unripe plums using a tennis racket. The kind of destruction that reveals itself days later when the juice discoloured in the heat. It was like paintball, without marksmanship. House proud, our neighbour spent Saturday mornings up the ladder with a bucket and sponge, puzzling it all together... What kind of bird shits that far up beneath the eaves?
Words & Photos: Morgan Rudolph.
James recounted this story at the tennis court last week. Between his knee reconstruction and my glass ankle, we managed a few lousy rallies, the kind where you let the ball bounce twice, both agreeing we were better suited to plum tennis. Anyway, if you're looking for a reason to put down your phone, pick up a tennis racket. Or better yet, try any of the following film stocks. We think they're great too.
Lucky C200
A product of Lucky's highly ambitious reboot, Lucky C200 is an affordable colour negative stock reminiscent of drugstore film in days of old. Based on their very own proprietary emulsion dating back to the early 1990's, you can expect a warm colour palette, high contrast, and spare change for coffee. It's a welcome change sure to disrupt the Kodak/Fujifilm colour film duopoly, seemingly taking aim at Gold 200 with the recent release of the 120 medium format variant. Every bit happy-go lucky.
Type: Colour Negative C-41
Price: $
Speed: 200ISO
Saturation: High
Grain: Medium
Exposure latitude: Medium
Sample Lucky C200 images on Instagram, HERE.
Harman Phoenix II 200
Succeeding Harman's experimental Phoenix, Phoenix II re-enters the chat with improved exposure flexibility and accurate colour reproduction. Though still defined by its coarse grain structure, high contrast and deep saturation, it's a significant upgrade. It's encouraging knowing Harman has thrown the kitchen sink at colour film. Keep it comin' Harman, we're optimistic for Phoenix III. Throw down some cash and support the cause.
Type: Colour Negative C-41
Price: $$
Speed: 200ISO
Saturation: High
Grain: Coarse
Exposure latitude: Narrow
Sample Harman Phoenix II 200 images on Instagram, HERE.
Kodak Kodacolor 100
Kodak's solution to short supplied stocks and fluctuating prices which have rocked the boat in recent years. Ironically, sold out online at the time of writing. Go figure! Consider Kodacolor 100 a no gimmick, low speed, colour negative stock that does what it says on the box. Haters will call it rebranded Pro Image 100, but we think it's cooler. Load your point-and-shoot and smash the flash!
Type: Colour Negative C-41
Price: $
Speed: 100ISO
Saturation: High
Grain: Fine
Exposure latitude: Wide
Sample Kodak Kodacolor images on Instagram, HERE.
Cinestill 400D
Kodak's legendary Vision3 250D motion picture stock. Make no mistake, this isn't any white label product. Cinestill have put in hard yards making this colour negative film photolab friendly. By removing the rem-jet layer—a sacrificial coating of carbon, wax, and adhesive that prevents scratching and static discharge symptomatic of motion picture hardware—CineStill have made this emulsion compatible with C-41 chemistry. Daylight balanced and respooled for 35mm cartridges and 120 medium format spools, could this be your next all-rounder?
Type: Colour Negative C-41
Price: $$$
Speed: 400ISO
Saturation: Low
Grain: Fine
Exposure latitude: Wide
Sample Cinestill 400D images on Instagram, HERE.
Ilford XP2 Super 400
In the spirit of affordability, we've rounded out this list with Ilford XP2 Super. On face value, this monochrome stock seems a little expensive, but you'll save a buck when processing in colour negative C-41 chemistry. Known for its wide exposure latitude and fine grain, there's no better excuse to dabble with black and white photography. We're reaching for Ilford XP2 Super in harsh daylight for high-contrasting subjects.
Type: Black and White C-41
Price: $$
Speed: 400ISO
Contrast: Medium
Grain: Fine
Exposure latitude: Wide
Sample Ilford XP2 Super images on Instagram, HERE.
